Rack mount devices, such as 1U/2U rack mount servers, are typically stacked on mounts to allow efficient use of space. Rack mounted devices are very common and are stacked vertically in mounts in a manner known to those skilled in the art. Referring to FIG. 1, a rack mount device 100, having a front portion 110, includes a display device on a user interface 120. The display device typically has a flat panel LCD mounted on the front of its enclosure with the viewing screen parallel to the plane of the front of the device. When many rack mount devices are mounted on some larger racks the ability to view the display screen is lessened for devices mounted on the top or bottom of these racks. For example, because the screen is mounted parallel to the front face of the rack mount device, it is best seen from an ideal viewing angle directly in front of the screen where the view is both perpendicular to and centered on the viewing screen. This creates the viewing problem in the prior art where the devices above or below eye level are difficult to read due to the viewing angle. Most rack mount devices with displays suffer from similar shortcomings.
One solution to the viewability problem is to have a display with an adjustable brightness. This allows the viewer to adjust the harder to view screens on a higher setting to allow more visibility for poor viewing angles. However, this solution suffers from significant disadvantages. First, typical displays are LCDs which have a maximum viewing angle. Adjusting the intensity of the display only works if the viewer is still within this viewing range. This can be a disadvantage, for example, when the devices mounted near the top or bottom of the rack are outside of the viewing range.